Distributed leadership, trust and online communities

This paper analyses the role of distributed leadership and trust in online communities. The team-based informal ethos of online collaboration requires a different kind of leadership from that in formal positional hierarchies. Such leadership may be more flexible and sophisticated, capable of encompassing ambiguity and rapid change. Online leaders need to be partially invisible, delegating power and distributing tasks. Yet, simultaneously, online communities are facilitated by the high visibility and subtle control of expert leaders. This paradox: that leaders need to be both highly visible and invisible as appropriate, was derived from prior research and tested in the analysis of online community discussions using a pattern-matching process. It is argued that both leader visibility and invisibility are important for the facilitation of trusting collaboration via distributed leadership. Advanced leadership responses to complex situations in online communities foster positive group interaction and decision-making, facilitated through active distribution of specific tasks

The More You Give the More You Get Back: Moderating Effect of Leadership on Knowledge Sharing in Online Programming Communities

Although there is a significant growth of emerging online programming communities, little succeeded in encouraging members to contribute and share their knowledge. The role of leadership to address the under contribution problem is gaining attention among researchers. This study grounded on path-goal theory to Investigates specifically the role of supportive leadership and achievement oriented leadership behaviour toward knowledge sharing in online programming community (OPC). This introduced model is tested empirically using data collected from 20 online programming communities. The findings from the analysis suggests that self-efficacy and outcome expectancy influences knowledge sharing behaviour of members in online programming community. The finding implied that although online communities are informal in nature, the appropriate type of leadership can boost the members’ efficacy and outcome expectancy toward sharing their knowledge, with the suitable level of autonomy and recognition of members contributions can motivate members to continuously contribute to online programming communities and promoting the sustainability in this platform

Emergent leadership in online communities: an interactive process of co-influencing

We propose a theoretical approach informed by a power-in-practice perspective that allows us to examine the emergence of leadership in online communities. We theorize leadership emergence as a process of co-influencing that is constituted by forces of ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ different enactments of power that are formative of communal interactions. More specifically we identify three pathways for emergent leadership based on different modes of community influence. These insights are based on a detailed exploration of interactions in one particular online community #WeAreNotWaiting, offering distinct contributions to the literature on leadership emergence, particularly in online communities without formal roles and hierarchies

Gaming Business Communities: Developing online learning organisations to foster communities, develop leadership, and grow interpersonal education

This paper explores, through observation and testing, what possibilities from gaming can be extended into other realms of human interaction to help bring people together, extend education, and grow business. It uses through action learning within the safety of the virtual world within Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Further, I explore how the world of online gaming provides opportunity to train a wide range of skills through extending Revans’ (1980) learning equation and action inquiry methodology. This equation and methodology are deployed in relation to a gaming community to see if the theories could produce strong relationships within organisations and examine what learning, if any, is achievable. I also investigate the potential for changes in business (e.g., employee and customer relationships) through involvement in the gaming community as a unique place to implement action learning. The thesis also asks the following questions on a range of extended possibilities in the world of online gaming: What if the world opened up to a social environment where people could discuss their successes and failures? What if people could take a real world issue and re‐create it in the safe virtual world to test ways of dealing with it? What education answers can the world of online gaming provide

Virtual communities and professional learning across a distributed remote membership

Headteachers, or Principals, of schools work in isolation from each other yet share common practice and domain of leadership and management. They exhibit the characteristics of a community of practice yet are remote from other members of their community. Similar communities of practice can be identified for other types of school leaders, subject co-ordinators for example, and for professionals in other disciplines – consultant registrars in health, optometrists working in dispensing opticians, museum curators, and so on. This paper explores ways of using virtual communities to develop professional learning in these communities of practice. We discuss our work in the context of education and formal and informal learning communities of school leaders and explore how the lessons learnt have general application. We present a model for professional learning through online collaboration and communication, and look, in particular, at the concept of time and its effects in the virtual community

Exploring leaders’ value of participating in virtual leadership communities of practice

The research study explores a leader’s perceived value in participating in a virtual leadership community of practice. This research applied narrative inquiry by examining value creation stories through the lens of Wenger, Trayner and de Laat’s (2011) value creation framework to explore how leaders within the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office apply learning from these communities to their leadership practice. It explores how emerging, mid-level and senior leaders engage in their virtual leadership communities and what influences the value that the leaders find within them. Fieldwork includes an online survey blended with semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that leaders’ participation in leadership communities can traverse multiple cycles of value creation and similar experiences can be experienced and valued by leaders at all levels. Although leaders find immediate value with the interactions and immediate connections within their leadership communities, more find benefit from the ‘potential and future value’ of virtual leadership communities, especially if influential to their own leadership development practice. Developing and supporting leadership communities is increasingly a focus of leadership development efforts in organisations. However, evaluating leadership communities and networks is a challenge, especially when staff are dispersed across wide geographical areas. Similarly-intended communities vary depending on environmental and contextual characteristics and influences, such as the maturity of the community, the ability to develop trust, engagement and motivation, as well as delivering value applicable to a leader’s work and leadership practice. These differing influences lead to different strengths and challenges, which can be addressed by learning professionals and organisations. This research shows that, in order to ensure success, decisions and actions have to be fine-tuned towards the unique personalities of the virtual leadership communities

Online Communities, Gen Y and Civic Engagement: An Investigation of Youth Leadership Development Potential in the Context of Social and Democratic Issues

Leadership is an extensively discussed and researched concept in scholarship. A vast amount of literature focuses on adult leadership, especially in a political and organizational context. Adult leadership places emphasis on the role of individual leaders, whilst youth leadership takes a participatory approach. Leadership scholars indicate that this participatory approach to youth leadership, involves young people addressing community concerns and at a civic level, engaging in planning and decision-making. Social participation traits and civic identity are developed during adolescence yet very little research has been undertaken in this area since the 1960s. This suggests that youth leadership is an overlooked research stream. Current studies on Gen Y indicate that this demographic are technologically proficient especially with regard to Web 2.0 tools, but also disengaged from their community. This research project examines the use of online communities to influence the leadership skills of a Gen Y cohort in the context of social participation and civic engagement. In this study a focus group and an online wiki were used to investigate how Gen Y teenagers in Wellington, New Zealand used online communities to develop and exercise their leadership skills through civic and social action endeavours. Results from the study indicate that youth leadership, in an online context, centres on the role of organisers who foster civic participation through online community networks. Thus youth leadership is strengthened through participation in civic and community issues using online communities. Adult perceptions of youth and the low credibility of online communities, as perceived by youth, were found to act as barriers to online youth leadership. The findings highlight the importance of adults acknowledging youth in social participation and civic endeavours. This study extends research in the youth leadership stream and enhances our understanding of Gen Y and their use of online communities

On Message: Using Strategic Communications to Advance Social Change in Black and Latino Communities

This report aims to highlight examples of efforts involving black- and latino-serving nonprofits that utilize strategic communications to enhance their advocacy work and improve opportunities in communities of color. a project of the abfe/hip initiative, this publication is informed by the findings of a nationwide scan to identify groups taking the lead to integrate strategic communications in their advocacy, organizing, and social change efforts in black and latino communities. conducted in 2007, the scan included an analysis of emerging research in nonprofit communications; a cataloging of the notable successes of several nonprofits and coalitions across the country; an online survey of grantmakers with an interest in high-priority issues in black and latino communities; and follow-up interviews with nonprofit leaders and the grantmakers funding their work. the scan also included information gathered under the guidance of a national advisory committee of media practitioners, grantmakers, advocates, researchers, and nonprofit leaders who volunteered, at the request of abfe and hip, to provide structure and lend leadership to the research

Development of a model for virtual leadership behavior on knowledge sharing in online programming communities

Despite the significant increase in the number of emerging online programming communities, very few succeed in inspiring members to share their knowledge. Recent studies have focused on personal level factors in encouraging members’ knowledge sharing. However, limited studies emphasis on the role of leader. In addressing this gap, this study aims to develop a model to examine the role of virtual leadership towards knowledge sharing in online programming communities. Then in carrying out the objective, the examination of virtual leadership behaviour moderating members’ personal cognitive factors toward knowledge sharing was conducted. Social Cognitive Theory and Path Goal Theory are used as the basis for the proposed model. The proposed model is tested empirically using data collected from 20 online programming communities. The result suggests that different leadership behaviors significantly moderate the effect of self-efficacy and outcome expectancy on members’ knowledge sharing. This finding implies that although online communities are informal in nature, the appropriate type of leadership can boost members’ efficacy and outcome expectancy to participate in knowledge sharing. Ideally, with the appropriate level of autonomy and recognition of members contributions can motivate members to continuously contribute to online programming communities and promote the sustainability of this platform. The implication of this study will provide meaningful insights for system designers to include several features to facilitate leadership behaviors in online programming communities. In supporting participative-leadership behavior, online poll and online voting need to be accommodated to allow inclusive decisions by members. Additionally, ranking and reputation features can further facilitate the achievement-oriented leadership and increase knowledge sharing among online programming community members

Identity and Leadership in Virtual Communities: Establishing Credibility and Influence

The presence and ubiquity of the internet continues to transform the way in which we identify ourselves and others both online and offline. The development of virtual communities permits users to create an online identity to interact with and influence one another in ways that vary greatly from face-to-face interaction. Identity and Leadership in Virtual Communities: Establishing Credibility and Influence explores the notion of establishing an identity online, managing it like a brand, and using it with particular members of a community. Bringing together a range of voices exemplifying how participants in online communities influence one another, this book serves as an essential reference for academicians, researchers, students, and professionals, including bloggers, software designers, and entrepreneurs seeking to build and manage their engagement online.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1083/thumbnail.jp